Chinese animated blockbuster "Ne Zha 2" premiered in the Hungarian capital of Budapest on Thursday night as part of the "Imazsia Chinese film week 2025." The screening, presented in Mandarin with English subtitles, sold out within hours of the box office opening.
"The fact that all tickets for today's screening sold out in less than three hours shows that the success of Chinese cinema extends far beyond China's borders and is generating increasing international interest," said Victoria Varadi, chief organizer of the film week.
"It is a great honor for us that this cinematic sensation could be brought to Hungary for the first time through the Imazsia Chinese Film Week," she added.
Meanwhile, Chinese Ambassador to Hungary Gong Tao spoke about the development of cultural ties within bilateral cooperation, saying that he expects the two sides "will continue to deepen cooperation in the field of film."
Members of the audience at the premiere expressed their appreciation for the movie.
Anna Matus, a 22-year-old medical student from Szeged, attended with her brother. "I really, really liked the film. I loved the visuals, the characters, the plot twists -- everything, really," she told Xinhua after the screening.
"As for my favorite character, I think it's the main character," she said. "I really enjoyed his development throughout the film."
Orsolya Racz, a 24-year-old student of the Chinese language, highlighted the animation's appeal to audiences familiar with animated films. "The film was really great. I watch a lot of animated films myself, so I really loved the animation and the drawing style -- how they brought out the elements in the film and the fight scenes, that was all very impressive to me."
Chris, a German engineering student currently based in Budapest, also praised the film, saying, "It was really, really interesting to see another culture."
Rooted in 16th-century Chinese mythology with a bold reinterpretation, "Ne Zha 2" was crafted over five years by a team of 4,000 animators and has since become the world's highest-grossing animated film.
